Future of dexmedetomidine in gastrointestinal endoscopy

In the scenario of gastroendoscopic setup, sedation is meant to enhance the comfort of the patient and to allay anxiety associated with the procedure. Most of the procedures under gastroendoscopic setup are performed on daycare basis; hence, the drugs with shorter half-life and which are easily metabolized are preferred. Dexmedetomidine is an attractive alternative to sedatives when the patient needs to be spontaneously breathing and easily arousable from sedation.